Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Germany and from Manchester.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1966 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983 at the first Lewis practice in a loft in Vancouver.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Blossom Toes to the grime kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Chris Corsano. All the underground hits.
All The Sonics tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Richard Hell and the Voidoids record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Michelle Simonal record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
New Order,
The Blackbyrds,
Marcia Griffiths,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Liliput,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Heaven 17,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Barrington Levy,
Fatback Band,
Rites of Spring,
China Crisis,
These Immortal Souls,
Sister Nancy,
Loose Ends,
Matthew Bourne,
The Dead C,
Eden Ahbez,
Janne Schatter,
Hardrive,
Technova,
Quantec,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Juan Atkins,
Reuben Wilson,
Duran Duran,
David McCallum,
Aloha Tigers,
Jeff Lynne,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Camberwell Now,
The Modern Lovers,
Accadde A,
Mars,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
The Sonics,
The Skatalites,
Television Personalities,
Rekid,
LL Cool J,
Half Japanese,
Niagra,
Panda Bear,
Unrelated Segments,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Cal Tjader,
Howard Jones,
Cymande,
Section 25,
Flipper,
Iggy Pop,
Scott Walker,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
the Fania All-Stars,
Lucky Dragons,
Ultravox,
Bad Manners,
Eli Mardock,
Amazonics,
Clear Light,
Mr. Review, Mr. Review, Mr. Review, Mr. Review.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.